Jaguar to develop transparent roof pillars and 'ghost car' navigation

The British car company has revealed its latest research project, which uses transparent roof pillars to make blind spots a thing of the past and ‘ghost-car’ concept to aid drivers on busy roads.

The ‘360 Virtual Urban Windscreen’ will give drivers visibility all around the car by having screens embedded in the surface of each pillar inside the vehicle to take an outside live video feed. This will create the impression of seeing through the metal.

Jaguar Land Rover claims that the ‘Follow-Me Ghost Car Navigation’ technology – which is still in its research stages but could be a feature of its cars – will increase the driver’s attention span and reduce distractions that could lead to accidents. The ‘ghost car’ concept could change the sat-nav system as we know it by projecting an image of a vehicle in front of the driver's car for them to follow, turn by turn, to their destination.

"Our ultimate aim is to reduce road accidents and enhance the urban driving experience. The Jaguar Land Rover research team is developing this technology to improve visibility and to give the driver the right information at the right time,” said Dr Wolfgang Epple, director of Research and Technology at Jaguar Land Rover.

“If we can keep the driver's eyes on the road ahead and present information in a non-distracting way, we can help drivers make better decisions in the most demanding and congested driving environments," he added.

An additional feature, the ‘Heads-Up’ display, would highlight the movement of pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles to the driver with an on-screen halo moving across the car’s virtual windscreen. The car would also be connected to the Cloud offering instant access to roadside infrastructure, petrol station prices or number of available parking spaces.

Talking about the full potential for the ‘360 Virtual Urban Windscreen’ Dr Epple said: “Driving on city streets can be a stressful experience, but imagine being able to drive across town without having to look at road signs, or be distracted trying to locate a parking space as you drive by.”

"We want to present all of this information on a Heads-Up Display in the driver's eye-line, so the driver doesn't have to seek it out for themselves and take their eyes off the road ahead."